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Quickly Moving Wildfire Fire Near Echo Reservoir

Utah Fire Info

Summit County is referring to the fire burning east of Echo Reservoir on I-80 at Milepost 170 as the Tervels Fire. It started at about 2 pm on Monday and is just east of the junction with I-84. No property or population centers are threatened as of this reporting. The traffic is backed up in both directions and if travelers have alternate routes, they’re encouraged to take them.  Carolyn Murray has this:

Battalion Chief, Patrick Harwood with the Park City Fire District says he estimates the fire is about five to 700 acres. They’ve closed one lane on I-80 heading east. They don’t know the cause of the fire but as of this report, the wind is causing it to move quickly eastward.

“There’s now infrastructure or residential or utility structures threatened. It’s pretty open. It’s on steep terrain so it’s difficult to contain at this point. We are kind of waiting for some changes in weather, the wind patterns and to pinch it off on the part that’s already burned. The fire is traveling eastward but as it cools down later evening it should push it back on itself and get the upper hand on it.”   

Chief Harwood says they don’t anticipate calling in for extra support from the state and they have about 50 boots on the ground with equipment and air support.

“Like I said we do have aircraft, helicopters making bucket drops. We do have dozers cutting fire line and quite a few resources out on the fire line, keeping it in check as best as we can.”

North and South Summit Fire Districts and the state helitack crews are at the fire. Harwood says Park City has sent two water tenders, a fire engine and a back country UTV.

He says winds have picked up as of Monday late afternoon and it is causing the fire to spread quicker than they expected.

“I do know they’re making notifications along the Dam and the Beach Area. It’s voluntary only evacuations.  We really believe the fire is just headed up into the back part of the mountainside not near the reservoir itself or structures along the reservoir.”

Horwood says there are crews all along the road and they’re using the nearby rest area as a staging site. The traffic is backed up and he asks people to be careful if they have to travel along this section of I-80.      

“One lane closed on I-80 cause the fire’s burning up to the road and we have resources operating all along the road side. UDOT’s on the scene helping and I imagine it’ll stay one lane for quite some time here, as we get a handle on our spread.”

That’s Battalion Chief, Patrick Harwood with the Park City Fire District.  

   

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